Director of Enchantment

Creativity, the search for the perfect location, and a clear ultimate goal: to make the event into a momentary work of art, a rush of emotions that are not easily put into words.

An undeniable expert, Martino Crespi began his long career as an organizer for music concerts and big shows, then spent 15 years managing trade shows, and finally has devoted himself to special projects for Condè Nast.

Now there is a detailed summary of a string of achievements, articulated by the intuition to be surroun- ded by only professionals; most recently it was the ex- traordinary chef Francesco Sposito during the last event “Bulgari Night”, held in the striking setting of the Roman Aquarium.

Glamour and elegance, served with dishes of high Italian gastronomy, where passion for work becomes a permanent uniquum to get the best result.

The ingredient that can’t be missing from my kitchen is my farmers’ harmony, serenity, and soul, and all of the magnificent things my land and my wonderful team offer,” says Chef Sposito, 2 Michelin stars in the Taverna Estia restaurant.

A director of enchantment performs the role of an events manager, where the fundamentals are attention to detail and constant dedication, as Martino Crespi tells us in the following interview.

GSM: Let’s try to define a professional events organi- zer. What do you do and what skills must you have?

MC: An events organizer is able to fully understand the client’s needs and expectations, to creatively design a project that interprets those needs and expectations, and puts it into action, choosing the most suitable participants.

GSM: What event do you reflect on with particular affection, and what are some unforgettable anecdotes?

MC: Answering this question is very difficult for me, there have been so many events that I remember with fondness and I struggle to choose just one… I’ll mention two. The first was the “Unica Cena” for Gualtiero Marchesi’s 85th birthday where the students of Gualtiero Marchesi, Carlo Cracco, Andrea Berton, Davide Oldani and Ernst Knam cooked together for the first time in 25 years, and the second was “Tribute to Ursula Andress”, an exhibit dedicated to the career of Ursula Andress who returned to the Venice Film Festival after a long absence.

GSM: What are the unforgettable anecdotes?

MC: For the “Unica Cena”, having meetings at one in the morning, when their restaurants closed, when they would share anecdotes and difficult decisions were made. I fondly remember the fact that three of them wanted to make a dish that used peas as ingredients. Arriving at the decision of who got to use them wasn’t that simple…Ursula Andress’ look of astonishment when the door opened leading to the exhibition, which was a complete surprise to her.

GSM: The next objective?

MC: In my new role as events manager for Jre Jeunes Restaurateurs across Europe, I’m organizing events in 15 Euro- pean countries, facing new culinary cultures and new lifestyle.